1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a battery compartment structure for electronic equipment enclosures and, more particularly, to a battery compartment structure that provides for improved cooling capability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Telecommunications equipment housed in outdoor enclosures frequently includes batteries that are used as a back-up source of power in case of a utility power failure. Batteries in such an environment are heated above the outdoor air temperature by the effects of the sun, equipment heat and internal heat generation associated with the batteries themselves. The service life of the batteries is a strong function of temperature. In particular, the battery life decreases exponentially as the average battery temperature rises above 25.degree. C.
One solution to this problem is to provide air conditioning units with the battery cabinet. However, this approach requires a significant amount of power and has a relatively high operating cost. Also, the air conditioning unit itself is rather complex and requires many additional components to be used in association with the battery unit. Also, batteries are known to generate hydrogen as they are used. The air conditioning system should therefore be modified to include an auxiliary ventilation system that will dissipate the hydrogen. The auxiliary ventilation system appears as a load to the air conditioning system, thus requiring an oversized air conditioning unit with respect to the batteries.
Thus, a need remains in the prior art for a simpler and more cost effective system for cooling batteries used in outdoor enclosures.